Migration of Microsoft 365
Maximum productivity in your company with the Microsoft 365 solutions
A lot of migration work is required to achieve a uniform system. With us as experts, you are well advised to avoid errors such as data loss. We bring your Office products up to date with a Microsoft 365 migration.
You have…
- outdated Microsoft Office licenses
- local Exchange Server
- missing license overview
- problems caused by different Microsoft Office versions
in that case, you should switch to Microsoft 365!
Why should you do the migration with us?
Professional consulting:
As an IT service provider, we define the requirements for a new system with you and can estimate the costs very well. With us you are on the safe path to your new system.
Certified IT specialists:
Our specialists are very familiar with the extensive Microsoft 365 migration processes. Here we can fall back on experience from successful projects.
Microsoft 365 migration for your individual requirements:
We are not a standardized migration tool. We are a flexible team that can actively respond to your requirements. With us, your migration will be a complete success.
We as SIGMA are a regional IT system house with customers mainly from Saxony, Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt.
Despite our regional customer base, we are also represented nationwide for cloud topics such as M365 (Microsoft 365).
What services do we offer as SIGMA for your Microsoft 365 migration?
Planning and coordination | We organize with you a smooth transition from the old system to the new Microsoft 365 environment. We check the circumstances, support you with licensing advice, set a schedule and define the areas of responsibility. |
Microsoft 365 migration to the new system | Establishment of specialists who know the processes inside out. Configuration & rights management for a clean handover of the system to the IT admin or managing director. Data transfer without data loss with our emergency backup systems. Deploying Exchange Online. |
Documentation & instruction | Detailed documentation about the new system and how to set it up for the IT admin as well as briefing on the range of functions of the new tools. |
Top 5 reasons for a Microsoft 365 migration
How to benefit from a Microsoft 365 migration:
- Low predictable costs without large investment requests every few years
- Time-saving and clear administration through the admin center and Azure Active Directory
- Increase in productivity through full use of all features
- Very flexibly adaptable from month to month, with a detailed license overview
- Access anywhere from up to 5 devices (MDM)
Microsoft tools receive constant updates and are more future-proof than legacy programs
Standard programs such as Excel, Word and Outlook are part of daily work. They should be migrated as a priority.
Microsoft's diverse tools are often underestimated or unknown, despite their helpful capabilities.
Departments such as accounting or secretarial services are particularly dependent on functioning spreadsheets in Excel.
Department-specific requirements should be handled cohesively, so one is not overwhelmed by constantly changing specifics.
Especially important as well as API files with special scripts should be secured as a precaution and checked for functionality after migration.
The 5 most common mistakes when migrating to Microsoft 365
1. Old and new systems are operated in parallel
Employees constantly need double user logon, which is often perceived as a nuisance. Old systems can often be replaced with new solutions from Microsoft.
2. Schedule cannot be realistically estimated
When setting a schedule, the first difficulties usually become apparent. Schedules do not always run best case and buffer times should be planned for contingencies.
3. The order of the individual steps is not observed
The migration starts with a clean setup of the tenant. Many migrations start randomly and data loss occurs. Even small errors can have major consequences.
4. Obtaining a data overview
In order to be able to determine after the migration whether data losses are present, one should compile a data overview beforehand
5. Employees are not trained for new system
Employees should be informed about the migration. Employees should also be made aware of important new features. This is the only way to prevent major teething problems.
Migration Management
Major migrations like these often involve large amounts of data and usually include many obstacles. To be able to avoid data loss or system failures, turn to us as migration experts. We are at your disposal for this and can advise you comprehensively. Contact us here.
Do you know these problems? If you do, Microsoft 365 helps you out!
Office version differences lead to problems
Employees complain that files don't work as they should, or document sharing results in view errors.
Overview of user licenses incomplete, outdated or not available at all
License purchases are years behind and are assigned in a confusing manner. With the Microsoft 365 Admincenter you have the complete system clearly displayed, with variable license management.
Employees don't like to switch to a new system every few years
Many new features with major version jumps every few years can be disruptive for clarity and productivity. With the automatically updating system, the changes are mostly small and happen piece by piece.
Microsoft 365 to replace your on-premises Exchange Server
Exchange Server 2013 will reach its end of life support on April 11, 2023. The migration from Exchange 2013 to Microsoft 365 or Exchange 2019 is therefore imminent and should be planned now. If you do not migrate your Exchange Server in time, you are taking a high security risk. After the support end date, Microsoft shuts down its security services for the servers. Since the support end date is public, hackers can react promptly.
Microsoft 365 plans for small to medium businesses ( up to 300 users ).
Subscription properties | Microsoft 365 Apps for Business | Microsoft 365 Business Basic | Microsoft 365 Business Standard | Microsoft 365 Business Premium |
Office applications local | Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access | Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access | Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access | |
Applications Online web-based in the browser | Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote | Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote | Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote | Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote |
Online services | OneDrive (1 TB per User) | Exchange (50 GB per Post office box), SharePoint, OneDrive (1 TB per User) | Exchange (50 GB per Post office box), SharePoint, OneDrive (1 TB pro User) | Exchange (50 GB per Post office box), SharePoint, OneDrive (1 TB per User) |
Microsoft Teams | Chats & meetings in the company | Chats & meetings in the company | Chats & meetings in the company | Chats & meetings in the company |
Additional tools | Sway | Delve, Sway, Yammer, Power Automate (Workflow), Power Apps, Planner | Delve, Sway, Yammer, Power Automate (Workflow), Power Apps, Planner | Delve, Sway, Yammer, Power Automate (Workflow), Power Apps, Planner |
Operating system included | No | No | No | Yes |
Office Mobile Apps | For iPad/iPhone, Android and Windows Phone | For iPad/iPhone, Android and Windows Phone | For iPad/iPhone, Android and Windows Phone | |
Azure Information Protection | optional | optional | optional | Yes |
Use of Office programs via Terminal Server / RDS | No | No | No | Yes |
Advanced Threat Protection | No | optional | optional | Yes |
Selective delete via Intune | Delete company data remotely if device is lost or stolen | |||
Advanced app protection | Office Mobile Apps copy or store corporate information for unauthorized apps & restrict storage locations | |||
Windows Defender Exploit Guard / Protection against malicious software | Set policies to protect against viruses, spyware and other threats | |||
E-mail archiving | No | optional | optional | Yes |
Message encryption | No | optional | optional | Yes |
Rights Management Services (RMS) | optional | optional | optional | Yes |
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) | optional | optional | optional | Yes |
Cloud App Discovery | Overview of all installed apps on employee devices to prevent malicious installations | |||
Setup Assistent & simplified policy management | No | No | No | Yes |
The Microsoft 365 data centers have multiple locations in Germany available for your data. With mirrored data centers, even if one site fails, a second is immediately ready and takes over the services.
Through encrypted storage of data and an IT security standard according to the ISO 27001, your information is safe. Data protection policies are handled according to the EU standard clauses.
F-User stands for "Frontline Worker" and can be used for employees in production, for example, who do not have their own workstation.
Microsoft 365 includes all Office 365 products, plus additional IT Security & Mobility products.
Besides the pure product purchase as a subscription, you also need technical knowledge. For switching to such a cloud system, one should be well informed. This way you can avoid data loss.
For the daily use of Microsoft Office products as well as the use of multiple (mobile) devices, Microsoft 365 offers the optimal solution.
If the desktop apps are included in the subscription, they can be used. However, an Internet connection is required for web-based use and synchronization.
Yes, this is usually valid for 30 days and can be requested from us upon request. This allows you to gain first impressions in the Microsoft 365 environment.
Microsoft 365 services run almost exclusively in the cloud and therefore require few resources of their own. A stable Internet connection is an important prerequisite.
The Microsoft 365 Admin Center is used to manage and review licenses for Microsoft 365, where you can add or remove new licenses, adjust existing licenses, monitor and report on license usage.
Upgrades or downgrades of Microsoft 365 licenses can be performed relatively easily via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. After consultation with us, the license plans will be adjusted in this regard.
Product information
Both products come from the open source area. LibreOffice therefore often included by default in open source systems like Linux.
OpenOffice is the predecessor of LibreOffice, but is still supported. Such free open source products are popular a choice for students.
OpenOffice is also not available as a 64-bit variant. Therefore, OpenOffice usually runs better on older hardware than LibreOffice.
Both are like Microsoft Office products with a limited range of functions.
In the business area, Microsoft convinces with a large number of functions. There are more and more new tools for the digital workplace being released by Microsoft.
LibreOffice also brings by default no alternative to the email program Outlook ( Thunderbird is often mentioned as an open source variant of Mozilla) .
Also the exchange of files with customers often brings compatibility problems.
Standard Tools in LibreOffice are:
Writer: Text processing program (equivalent to Microsoft Word)
Calc: Spreadsheet (equivalent to Microsoft Excel)
Impress: Presentations (equivalent to Microsoft Powerpoint)
Draw: Drawing tool (comparable to Visio from Microsoft)
Base: Database management system (comparable to Microsoft Access)
Math: This formula calculator is also used in other applications
Product information
Google offers many comparative products to Microsoft 365 with a bunch of tools. Most Google Apps are already familiar to us as home users.
Google is the number 1 search engine worldwide. In addition, probably every Android user uses the Google Playstore to download apps or the navigationsystem Google Maps. With a number of "G-Suite" products, Google also complements some business tools.
All of Google's products are 100% cloud-based. Microsoft also offers its customers the products as a local installation.
Google's business tools are also very extensive, but it does not offer a comparable product for Microsoft Exchange for email management.
Standard Tools in G-Suite are:
Google-Docs: Word processing program (like Microsoft Word)
Google-Sheets: Spreadsheet (like Microsoft Excel)
Google-Drive: Cloudstorage and Backup (Equivalent to Microsoft OneDrive)
Gmail: E-mail program (comparable to Microsoft Outlook)
Google-Slides: Presentation program (Equivalent to Microsoft Powerpoint)
Google-Meet: Voice and video conferencing tool (comparable to Microsoft Teams)
Google-Calendar: Comparison product to Microsoft Calendar
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft is launching its own artificial intelligence co-developed by OpenAI. This is to be integrated into the various Microsoft 365 Office applications. This chat-based solution will not only provide answers in text form like ChatGPT. In several announcement videos you can see how Microsoft Copilot can summarize teams meetings for you to filter out the main points even after long meetings. In Excel, meaningful evaluations are created and data is structured. A PowerPoint slide of pure content becomes a vivid presentation with structure and consistent transitions. Copilot is able to learn from existing Word templates and apply this pattern to new documents to generate similar content.
These things and many more should be done in no time with Microsoft Copilot. The future will show how this solution can be integrated into everyday work. Already today, many people are using ChatGPT to work in a more time-efficient way.
Microsoft Kaizala
Microsoft will retire the Kaizala app on August 31, 2023. This collaboration tool was established in 2017 for Microsoft 365. Teams, however, has made this solution obsolete and has now completely replaced it.
October 10, 2023 - access support will be terminated
Office 2016 and Office 2019 are no longer supported when connecting to Microsoft 365. These versions can still connect to Microsoft 365, but their connections are no longer supported and you may experience performance or reliability issues in the future.
Windows Mail & Calendar will be replaced
Microsoft has announced that its standard "Mail" and "Calendar" software will be gradually replaced by the "Outlook" application from August 2023. The changeover is being made with the aim of offering users an improved and more comprehensive platform for communication and time management.
From August 2023, users will be able to migrate from "Mail" and "Calendar" to the latest version of "Outlook". This will ensure a seamless migration of emails, calendar entries and contacts. However, the switch will not be forced, and users will have the option to revert to the previous applications if they prefer.
Microsoft has already announced the end of support for "Mail" and "Calendar" at the end of 2024. From that point on, no further updates or security patches will be made available for these applications. Starting in 2024, new computers will also be shipped with "Outlook" instead of "Mail" and "Calendar." This change is intended to ensure that users are using the best possible software for their communication and time management needs right from the start.
